Knowify is built for specialty subcontractors billing to GCs. Cornerstone PM™ is the alternative for home builders in the GC role -- managing subs, running communities, pre-selling homes with a design center (Builder $299/mo), and closing with draws. From $149/mo with up to 30 users (60 on Pro+).
Knowify vs Cornerstone PM™ -- subcontractor tool vs. home-builder platform.
| Feature | Cornerstone PM™ | Knowify |
|---|---|---|
Built for home builders (GC / owner role) Knowify is built for specialty subcontractors (electrical, plumbing, drywall). Cornerstone PM™ is built for the home builder acting as GC -- managing subs, vendors, and communities across production, semi-custom, and custom workflows. | ||
Structural options engine Pre-sale floorplan options pricing -- Cornerstone Builder ($299/mo). Not a subcontractor concept. | ||
Floorplan pricing matrix Per-community floorplan pricing. Cornerstone Builder+. | ||
Multi-community lot management Native multi-community pipeline. Knowify is job-centric. | ||
Designer Packages (64 curated by an interior designer, 7 categories) Packages curated by an actual interior designer -- the same playbook K. Hovnanian Homes uses. Buyer design center. Cornerstone Builder+. | ||
Native AI agents (Foreman AI -- 396+ skills) Cornerstone Pro ($499/mo): Foreman AI reads AND writes construction data. Blueprint AI: PDF to takeoff in 60 seconds. Knowify has no native AI agents. | ||
AI image search, vision & anti-bot web scraping Foreman searches product images, hosts them on CDN, reads supplier product pages with AI-powered web scraping. Plus: paste or drag-drop any screenshot and Foreman reads it with AI vision and acts on it. Cornerstone Pro feature. | ||
37+ named webhook events (catalog growing) Cornerstone Pro+ ($599/mo): 37+ named events and counting -- typed payloads, HMAC signatures, delivery logs, auto-retry. New events ship as the platform grows. Knowify has no public webhook catalog. | ||
BYOA (Bring Your Own Agent) Cornerstone Pro+ ($599/mo): wire Claude or ChatGPT to your live construction data. | ||
Public REST API (150+ API endpoints) Cornerstone Pro+: 150+ API endpoints, public docs. New endpoints ship as the platform grows. Knowify: limited API, QuickBooks-oriented integrations. | Limited | |
Take your data with you anytime — no lock-in Your data is YOURS. Full database export to CSV or JSON anytime, one click, $0, no fees, no waiting on a support ticket. Nightly auto-backups retained 7 days for instant rollback. If you ever leave us, you leave with everything — vendors, homes, schedules, options, budgets, every line. No strings attached. | ||
AI Migration Wizard AI auto-detects column mapping and runs 23 import endpoints. | ||
Homeowner portal (realtime sync + photos + messaging + ZIP export) Real-time portal synced with construction scheduling — when framing moves three days, buyers see it instantly. Plus: (1) builder/PM uploads job-site photos to every milestone (up to 5 photos per milestone via a camera button on the task row), (2) built-in messaging app between builder and customer with a permanent searchable record, and (3) one-click ZIP download of all job photos. Knowify is contractor-finance-first — no buyer portal of this depth. | ||
Vendor portal — no login required (email magic links) 7-wave automated bidding pipeline + a no-login vendor portal: vendors confirm tasks, accept schedule changes, and submit bids via secure email magic links — no app, no account, no password. | ||
Triple QR ecosystem (vendor + PM + buyer, no app install) Three QR codes for three audiences, no app required: (1) vendor jobsite check-in captures GPS + timestamp + weather + photo upload automatically, (2) PM/internal-builder check-in feeds GPS-validated timesheets so you can prove who was actually on-site, (3) sales model home QR for walk-in buyer lead capture — replaces paper sign-in sheets, recognizes returning visitors, instantly creates a Lead record tied to the community with email + in-app notification to the sales agent. Knowify ships none of these. | ||
Sales model home QR — walk-in buyer check-in + auto Lead DB save One QR at every model home entrance: walk-in buyers self-register on their own phone, returning visitors are recognized, every scan auto-creates a Lead record (name, email, phone, "how did you hear about us?") tied to the community, and the assigned sales agent gets an instant in-app + email notification. Replaces paper sign-in sheets with a searchable, attributable lead pipeline. Knowify has no model-home lead-capture flow. | ||
Vendor Activity Map (Google Maps, real-time) Live Google Maps view of every vendor check-in across every community, 30-second refresh. See exactly who's on which jobsite right now. Filter by date or vendor. Stat cards show how many vendors are currently on-site. Knowify has no equivalent. | ||
Flexible PO generation (4 patterns, mix on same job) Cornerstone gives you four PO patterns: (1) all POs at job start, (2) partial deposit POs from earlier pipeline tasks (permit pull, contract sign, foundation pour), (3) full PO auto-generated when a task is marked complete, or (4) configurable per task / scope / community. Mix all four on the same job. Knowify has POs but the generation flow isn't task-driven. | Limited | |
Job costing / T&M billing Knowify is strong at time-and-material billing for subcontractors. Cornerstone handles builder cost tracking, not T&M invoicing to GCs. | Limited | |
Pricing model Knowify Core starts at $99/mo (annual) for 1 base user; Advanced at $249/mo. Cornerstone is flat at every tier — up to 30 users (60 on Pro+) from $149. More importantly: Knowify is built for subs billing to GCs -- it doesn't ship an options engine, floorplan pricing matrix, multi-community pipelines, or home-builder AI at any price. | Flat — up to 30 users (60 on Pro+) | Per-user base |
Cornerstone tiers (flat — up to 30 users • 60 on Pro+) Starter ($149): scheduling, permits, homeowner portal. Builder ($299): adds sales pipeline, purchasing, design center with options engine and designer packages. Pro ($499): adds Foreman AI + Blueprint AI. Pro+ ($599): adds REST API, BYOA, 37+ named webhook events, 7-wave bidding. | $149 / $299 / $499 / $599 | -- |
Pricing and feature availability reflect publicly available information as of 2026. Verify current pricing and capabilities directly with each vendor. Knowify® is a trademark of its respective owner; Cornerstone PM™ is not affiliated with or endorsed by Knowify.
Knowify is built for subs billing to GCs. Cornerstone is built for the GC -- managing subs, vendors, and communities. You assign bids, run schedules, manage lot inventories, and deliver homes.
Foreman AI reads AND writes your data. Blueprint AI converts floor plans to takeoffs. AI image search, vision, anti-bot web scraping, per-user memory. No other home-builder platform comes close.
Scheduling (Starter $149), purchasing, bid management, homeowner portal, structural options engine, multi-community pipeline (Builder $299) -- all in one platform from $149/mo.
Honest take
If you're a specialty subcontractor billing T&M to general contractors, Knowify is a solid tool. This page is for home builders who found Knowify through a search. You're the builder -- you need a different platform, and Cornerstone PM™ is built for your role.
Export your Knowify data, drop it in our wizard, and AI auto-maps vendors, contacts, and job history. Dry-run before you commit.
Costs about $0.01 per migration in AI — we absorb it. You pay zero.
For home builders who need a GC-role platform, not a subcontractor tool.
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